Good! I'll check it out
MMABrat
Soldier of MMAFia I am not the best but I try!

I liked it at first we was like why is it only showing part of it? Then we noticed it was in 3 parts.
Great job.
MMABrat
Soldier of MMAFia I am not the best but I try!

Glad you liked it! So you got through the whole thing, even the part with B.J. Penn and his family? Just making sure since it went up today.

Dave I did not get to watch it when the kids did, but I am now, can we use this article as a place to ask you questions about it?
EERS_1_Fan
Eliot Marshall won all 3 rounds! boxing judges should be fair you don't have to KO the other guy in their world!

Ask away! I'm always game on FightTicker.

Or you can register here: http://connections.pacificnetwork.tv/

How would you compare the physiological violence that is learned in MMA compared to things like the crazy video games now days for instance? My kids really don’t show enough interest to even want one. Maybe had I won the ones well never mind! Ignore the last sentence

Have you had any backlash from this, as in critics giving reasons why the UFC has not had a severe injury?

What are your thoughts on the 7-09 legislation, and have you been contacted about helping contribute to it?

About stepping up to layout the future of the sport so to speak, I honestly believe it needs to be the government. I know people are going to hate me now right? I ‘m not saying do away with it, I mean lay it out the way it is only a little harder to fix fights and better for the fighters involved. What is your opinion Dave?

EERS_1_Fan
Eliot Marshall won all 3 rounds! boxing judges should be fair you don't have to KO the other guy in their world!

Good questions EERS.

No backlash yet...some mild comments from people I know about thinking MMA is still street fighting and stuff. Can't change everyone's mind.

I have been asked to state my piece on regulation by 1 newspaper out here, and by MMA Hawaii (MMAHawaii.com). But the MMA industry in Hawaii is not organized when it comes to lobbying. Promoters aren't working together to get attorneys and that kind of thing, and they need to.

MMA in Hawaii is in trouble. Not only will the regulations increase costs, but our national/global economy is in big trouble. In Hawaii, a down turned economy is magnified because we are just way too dependent on tourism, and everyday items for purchase cost more because of shipping costs. I'm for regulation and increasing health and safety measures for the fighters - this is long overdue in Hawaii in my opinion.

However, I feel the extra taxing here will have a bigger effect on promoters than for most promoters on the continental U.S. Furthermore, industry will be less likely to invest in MMA, simply because of our recession. The fewer big-name sponsorships, the less pro MMA cards we'll see. It's going to be tough times (albeit not just for MMA).

Video games can impact negative youthful behavior. Remember the perpetrators from Columbine HS? Violent video games can desensitize youth from serious violence - so can violent TV. Now this doesn't happen to all or even most youth. But for those who are susceptible to being pushed over the edge for whatever reasons, media violence can adversely affect behavior.

MMA (and sports in general) is different. Presumably, in sport there are coaches, hopefully responsible coaches. That makes a colossal difference in youthful norms, attitudes, and behaviors. Long-term positive mentoring is a proven protective factor for youth in and out of sport. If you have a good coach, better chances the students will behave accordingly. Excessively violent video games don't deter kids from negative behavior. They may not hurt (depending on the kid), but they can hurt, and they certainly don't help.

Bravo Dave! The documentary was fair, accurate and very well done overall. It's pretty crazy just how popular and widely accepted MMA is in Hawaii. It'll be interesting to see what happens with the legislation and whatnot. How was the viewing party? Must've been fun.

Will Egan Inoue be staying in the game for a while? He looked really good in his fight.
EERS_1_Fan
Eliot Marshall won all 3 rounds! boxing judges should be fair you don't have to KO the other guy in their world!

Hey Tom. Good to "see" you again. Seattle's MMA blogger and I actually met in Honolulu while I was working on this project...and he trained one day at ICON (where Leben is the head coach).

Right now Egan is not planning on competing again. Who knows though, and his daughter said, he's always training and staying in good shape...

How much time did you spend a ICON? Does it look like Leben takes things serious there? Does he bring in top fighters to train with?
EERS_1_Fan
Eliot Marshall won all 3 rounds! boxing judges should be fair you don't have to KO the other guy in their world!

Leben brought in Chris Wilson recently, and periodically he'll bring in other really talented guys from the Pacific Northwest. Yea, from what I can tell he takes things there seriously. He's still a character too. We spent a few days there shooting, maybe 3 or 4 total.

Has your feelings about MMA changed since writing your book? And have you ever saw this kid train?

http://www.mmahawaii.com/content/view/93/30/

MMABrat
Soldier of MMAFia I am not the best but I try!

What I meant was did making this change your views any?
MMABrat
Soldier of MMAFia I am not the best but I try!

I watched a lot of stuff on youtube
MMABrat
Soldier of MMAFia I am not the best but I try!

Nah, helping to make the documentary didn't change my views since the book. Still the same.

Yea, as you know, I'm a big fan of MMA now. I feel I support it more than criticize it.

Yes, I've seen him train on video and (I THINK) in one competition in person. He's awesome. I don't mind kids learning different aspects of MMA, as long as they're not striking each other in the head and they just generally have informed, responsible instructors. Hopefully that's what was conveyed in the final part of the documentary by coaches interviewed like Kevin Yoshida and Egan Inoue. Oh, and I thought Chris Leben had good things to say on responsible coaching too.